System of electric lighting and apparatus therefor.



No. 696,662. Patented Apr. I, I902.

P. LAPERTOT, G. VILLARD & L. PIGNAUD. SYSTEM OF ELECTRIC LIGHTIN 6 AND APPARATUS THEREFOR.

{Application filed Oct. 6. 1900.)

(No Model.)

UMTED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

PIERRE LAPERTOT, GILBERT VILLARD, AND LAURENT PIGNAUD, OF LYONS, FRANCE.

SYSTEM OF ELECTRIC LIGHTING AND APPARATUS THEREFOR.

SPECIFICATION forming of Letters Patent No. 696,662, dated April 1, 1902.

Application filed October 6, 1900. Serial No. 32,296. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, PIERRE LAPERTOT, electrician, GILBERT VILLARD, engineer, and LAURENT PIGNAUD, gentleman, citizens of 5 the Republic of France, residing at Lyons,

in the Republic of France, have invented an Improved System of Electric Lighting and Apparatus or Devices Therefor, (for which applications for patents have been made in Germany,iiled August 9,1900; in France filed May 21, 1000, and in Great Britain, where provisional protection has been obtained under No. 14,038, dated August 15, 1000,) of which the following is a specification.

The invention which forms the subject of the present application is based on the following facts: \Ve have ascertained that when the current is somewhat rapidly interrupted and reestablished in different circuits under particular conditions the lighting produced by the lamps is not modified. .Ve have discovered that economical results relatively to the motive force expended for the electric lighting by-the lamps are obtained by raising or suddenly increasing the potential of the current feeding the lamps during the intervalor a very short portion of the interval when the current is admitted to the lamps. This has caused us to call this new current which we employ for lighting a supervolted and interrupted current and the apparatus which serve for producing this current lifting-translators. In principle we obtain a momentary increase of the electric potential or a superveltage of the current by utilizing the capacity or self-induction of cells of insulated wires with or without a metallic core or by any suitable condenser. These currents of capacity or self-induction are added to the source of energyduring the very short instant when the feeding of the lamps takes place, and thusiucreases theirluminous intensity. she currents of capacity or selfinduction cease the moment the current passes from one series of lamps to anothen In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front view of the apparatus which We call a lifting-translator and which is adapted to produce industrially the supervolted and interrupted currents of our invention.

Fig.

2 is a vertical section on the line AB of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a front View, and Fig. 4 a side view, on a reduced scale, of this apparatus as mounted on the shaft of a dynamo. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing how the alternating currents are taken in the half-periods on the engagement of the brushes on the segment.

The liftingtranslator, Figs. 1 and 2, is preferably composed of a drum d, bearing a segment 0, and of six brushes a, the opposite brushes being connected by an insulated wire ct". Three of the brushes are connected with a series of three lamp-circuitsr, s, and t, one brush being connected with each circuit, respectively, by conductors r, and these circuits are connected by a common conductor with one pole or of the dynamo. The other pole or of the dynamo is connected by a conductor m with a ring g, which serves to conduct the current to the drum (Z and segment 0. In front of the segment 0 there is an inclined plane e, of insulating material, for enabling the brushes to run onto the segment without shock. An iron frame or ring h, fixed on the frame of the dynamo, carries the brushes, which are insulated. The translater is placed on the prolongation of the shaft 1) of the alternator, where it is wedged in the desired position by a pressure-screw or the like.

The mode of action is as follows: The current coming from the pole a over the wire on to the ring g passes through the ring and drum cl to the segment 0. As opposed brushes are connected together, then at each revolution two emissions of current are produced in the series of lamps r s t. The segment a is keyed on the shaft 12 in such a way that the opening or lift of the brushes takes place at '0, Fig. 5, between the end and the commencement of a half-period of emission of current from the alternator. As at this point the power of the current is nil, or almost on], no sparking, or practically none, takes place. The segment 0 is of such length that the moment a brush engages itv atf, Fig. 1, it takes the current at the half-period before mentioned, as shown in Fig. 5. According to the length given to the segment 0 the engagement of the brush atf will correspond to the first half-period at 11 or Z 70 or even the second half-period between Z and 1), according to the effects of supervoltage or raising of the potential which it is desired. to obtain. The resultis (see Fig. 5) that between the commencement u of the half-period and the point '5 where the current is'taken, or to the engagement of the brushes on the segment 0 there is produced a very short instantwhen there is no current; but as'soon'as a brush engages the segment cthe current is established, and at this moment to the current of the alternator there is added a current of capacity or self induction coming from the coils of the field, which suddenly raises the potential of the currents arriving successively at the lamps, which effects an economy in the motive power necessary for the lighting. If the brushes a were arranged in such a way that the moment on e brush engages the segment 0 another motes 0% it, it is not deleterious to the working and the same effects are produced.

The lifting translator hereinbefore described is constructed with the view of feeding three series of lamps; but of course on the same principle a larger number may be fed successively. I

The translator instead of a single segment may have several on the same drum or diiferent drums. tate more rapidly the number of brushes may be reduced by one per series of lamps. Similarly, without changing the principle of the translator the brushes may be replaced by other systems of contacts. Figs. 1 and 2 represent a translator of a power of one to ten amperes; but they may be made for higher or lower power.

The translator instead of being placed directly on the shaft of the alternating dynamo may be placed in a circuit fed by an alternating current, for which it is sufficient to actuate the translator by a small synchronous By causing the alternator to ro-' alternating current, operating it by a small synchronous motor.

We declare that what we claim is 1. In a system of electric lighting such as described, the combination with an alternating-current generator of high self-induction, of means for passing the current from said generator from one series of lamps to another successively during the intervals existing between the end and the commencement of the half periods of emission, thereby avoiding sparking, substantially as described.

2. In a system of electric lighting, the combination with a lamp-circuit, of a generator of high self induction adapted to continuously supply an electric current to the lampcircuit, and means for adding at predetermined times to the current supplied to the lamp-circuit, the currents of self-induction of the generator.

3. In a system of electric lighting the combination of means for supplying a current to several series of lamps successively during thehalf-period of the current and means for adding to the current thus supplied the selfinduced currents of the coils of the generator; whereby a momentary increase in the potential of the currents reaching the series of lamps in succession will be produced.

4. In a system of electric lighting such as described, the combination with a source of electric current, and a series of lamp-circuits, of a lifting-translator comprising a drum, an electrically conducting-segment thereon, means for rotating said drum and segment, a series of brushes mounted about said drum, and adapted to be engaged successively by said segment and electric connections from said brushes and segment to the lamp-circuits, the whole adapted to shit t the current from series to series of the lamp-circuits, successively, and produce a momentary increase in potential of the currents feeding the lamps.

PIERRE LAPERTOT.

GILBERT VILLARD. LAURENT PIGNAUD.

Witnesses:

GEORGES. FREYDIER DUBREUL, JEAN GERMAIN. 

